Common names of the fish: Polka-Dot Loach, Marble Loach, Cloud Botia, Angelicus Loach, Burmese Border Loach, Cloud-Pattern Loach, Thai Loach, and Botia "Angelicus" Latin or Scientific Name: Botia kubotai Origin or Range: Salween River System in Myanmar Temperature: 73ºF to 82ºF(22-28°C) Ease of Keeping: Easy Aggressiveness: Peaceful Adult Size: 5 Inches (13 cm) Minimum Tank Size: 25 Gallon (95 Liters) Feeding: Omnivore Spawning Method: Egg Layer, No confirmed reports of successful spawns in captivity.
Botia kubotai or the Polka Dot Loach is a very active and relatively easy to care for loach. Polka Dot Loaches are gregarious and should be kept in groups of at least four individuals. Males may engage in mock battles to establish a hierarchy among the group when first introduced to a tank. They do little to no damage to each other and this behavior quickly subsides once the hierarchy is established. Provide a tank of at least 25 gallons, a cave or driftwood to hide amongst, and a smooth substrate to keep these loaches happy. Live plants are also a bonus. The loaches' are not picky and will take a variety of foods including: Blood worms, Brine Shrimp, algae wafers, crushed snails, crushed earthworms, most types of flake food, and pellet food. They are a great candidate for most community aquariums; however most polka dot loaches are still wild caught and should be quarantined for a short period. Also because they are wild caught they carry a hefty price at most local stores.
